Sports Business

LeBron James and Kevin Love opted out, but both are expected to be all in for next season

LeBron James and Kevin Love have both opted out of their contracts with the Cavs, but are expected to sign one-year deals with the team after July 1.

We already had high hopes for the entertainment value that will be produced by the Cavs’ offseason.

But a picture of LeBron James and Kevin Love meeting poolside that was tweeted by a former rapper and current writer/podcaster? Consider our expectations raised. This wasn’t quite as terrific as the day many of us tracked Dan Gilbert’s plane, but it was pretty darn good. If you follow the Cavs, or if you’ve interacted with anyone in Northeast Ohio in the last few days, you’re aware that James and Love have both opted out of their contracts with the Cavs. There has been some of the usual doom and gloom associated with each move — and the national media is still encouraging Love to get the hell out of town — but for the most part, the transactions have been viewed exactly as they should. These were tactical decisions that allow James and Love to maximize their earnings, and in James’ case, maybe up the pressure on the Cavs just a bit. (You think the Cavs might be more inclined to give Tristan Thompson a contract offer approaching the max with LeBron lingering on the free-agent market?) LeBron isn’t going anywhere. The player option he could have exercised for the 2015-16 was worth $21,573,398. By declining that and waiting to sign a new one-year deal with a player option, James is expected to earn an extra $500,000, plus he protects himself for 2016-17 in multiple ways — in case of injury, his salary would be guaranteed, and in case the Cavs’ moves don’t meet his desires. Cavs general manager David Griffin told the media last week that James was “very engaged” in the team’s offseason, which would appear to be much different from the methods he seemed to prefer in the summers of 2010 and 2014. Love is also expected to stay with the Cavs, and he seems likely to go the one-year-with-an-option route, too. But if the 26-year-old power forward, who has had five of his last six seasons ended prematurely by injuries, wants the security of a long-term deal in the $100 million range, the Cavs will gladly oblige. Either way, we expect the Cavs to bring back every key piece from last season, with the possible exception of J.R. Smith (more on him in a bit). The get-together between James and Love “wasn’t a free-agent meeting,” according to Brian Windhorst, but it seems encouraging for a pair of All-Stars who often didn’t seem on the same page last season. Four days before the poolside chat that went viral, Cleveland.com’s Chris Haynes tweeted that James “won’t be re-recruiting” Love. So what was Sunday? A random occurrence between millionaires who were taking in all that L.A. has to offer? Just a pair of teammates hanging out while James is in town for a basketball camp? That’s very possible. But maybe — just maybe — James, after the poor showings by most of his supporting cast during the last three games of the NBA Finals, really does want Love to return, and he’s making it known to the three-time All-Star whose scoring average dropped almost 10 points in 2014-15. Either way, it’s logical to believe the Big Three will give it another go-round in 2015-16. But don’t be surprised if you hear and read speculation in the next two weeks that indicates the opposite. The NBA offseason never disappointments. (Well, um, except in 2010. That was pretty terrible.)

Two for the road

• In an exploding salary environment, it makes sense for Smith to turn down the chance to play for $6.4 million in 2015-16. But if the shooting guard is hoping to land a three-year deal with a starting salary in the $8 million range, as has been reported, I would think the Cavs would be willing to let him walk.

If Love and Timofey Mozgov (who can become a free agent next summer) stay past the 2015-16 campaign, the Cavs likely will enter 2016-17 with seven players earning more than the $8 million per year that Smith reportedly desires — James, Kyrie Irving, Love, Mozgov, Thompson, Anderson Varejao and possibly Iman Shumpert. Smith, if he gets his wish with the Cavs, would make eight. Gilbert can afford it, and the cap is expected to jump from $67 million in 2015-16 to $108 million in ’17-18, but that’s a crazy payroll even by New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets standards. We’d hate to see J.R. go, especially from an off-the-court standpoint, but the Cavs have to say no to someone at some point. • Since the Cavs’ season concluded with a Game 6 loss to the Warriors on June 16, the Indians have lost eight of 11 games. In that span, the Tribe has been shut out three times (twice on Sunday) and scored one run on three other occasions. The Indians have been limited to three or fewer runs in eight of the 11 contests. The Tribe’s struggles obviously have nothing to do with the Cavs, but this was the Indians’ chance to generate more of a buzz until the Browns start training camp and thousands of fans in Northeast Ohio try to talk themselves into Josh McCown being a viable starting quarterback. Instead, the Indians are eight games under .500 and 12 games behind the Royals in the American League Central. They would need to go 49-39 the rest of the way just to finish over .500. If they are going to turn things around, they need to do so now, with two weeks remaining before the All-Star break.

You can follow me on Twitter for sports information and analysis, and you should follow Jensen Karp in case he sees LeBron James or Kevin Love meeting with any other stars in luxurious settings. (Hey Kevin, why the sweatshirt?)